Fremantle prison

last week, my friends julie and gill and i decided to check out the ultimate tourist attraction in the freo area: the prison. i say that because it's won numerous awards for tourism and draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. if you are a fan of amazing race, you will have seen the prison before as it was one of the challenges a few years back (the hippies, i think)

there are many tours from which to chose, but we decided on the "doing time tour", which is essentially a historical look at the prison and a close look at the living arrangements, etc. other tours include the "escape with me" and the ever popular (but never catch me on) "night time- scary tour". there's also a tunnel tour (on amazing race, option 1). i'm saving that one to do with john.

the prison was built by convicts in the 1850's and remained a fully functioning jail until 1991. yes, 1991. convicts only lived in it until 1880. after that, prisoners. i forget the difference but i think it has to do with the severity of the crime and the duration of the sentence. the convicts cut limestone bricks out of the hill on which it sits to create a prison which was able to house in the area of 1000 prisoners. 

the cells were tiny (4x7 feet) and had nothing but a hammock, a small school desk and chair and  bucket for inmates to use as the loo. nice. the cells were increased in size (x2) in the early 1890's because they were so small for one person. the new "big" cells were designed to hold one person but in the end, they put 2 men per room anyhow so not a great increase in space! when we looked at the rooms, they seemed incredibly small. considering there would be 2 grown men in there for 16 hours a day. yes, 16 hours!

we walked through the yards where prisoners hung out. seemed like small yards for 160 people. no shelter until the 1970's or 80's. if it rained, you got wet. if it happened to be scorching hot in the middle of summer, you got burnt! not that you'd want to be inside... 50 degrees plus in the summer. no electricity in the rooms. no running water. 

we saw the solitary confinement wing. not nice. dark, empty. scary, in my opinion. some people were in there for months. months! 1 hour a day they were allowed out. we also walked by the punishment area. punishment was given in the form of lashings with a 9 tailed whip. up to 100 could be given (though never at once). i asked what you would have to do to get 100 lashings: swearing at the minister! no, seriously! lashings remained a part of the penal system in WA until the prison closed and could be dished out with the sentence (2 years, 1 month and 12 lashing!)

a slight modification on solitary confinement was the isolation room. a few cells in the prison are designed with their own yard that only one inmate has access too. the people in these cells were ex-cops, ex-prison guards, police informants and anyone else at high risk. these people never got to interact with anyone other then the guard who brought their food. one person was there for 6 years! though, to be honest, after seeing the rest of the prison, i think i would've preferred to be on my own and have my own room and yard to sit in then share it all with everyone else. julie and gill disagreed. apparently i'm ok being a loner.

my least favourite stop on the tour was the capital punishment room, also known as the gallows.  44 people were hung. only 1 woman. death by hanging is the only type of capital punishment in australia, though it is no longer practiced. apparently, it's also the most humane. i won't get into the details but i would have to agree. i stood at the back and crept out as soon as the guide finished talking. no need to spend more time in a room where 44 people were killed then necessary i think. i was surprised to see parents bringing their young kids up close to the trap door. i, personally, will not let my young children see rooms like this.

the most disturbingly amazing thing to the 3 of us was the fact that this prison was fully functioning in 1991! i remember 1991. it wasn't that long ago! when you walk through it, you feel that it should have closed down in the 1940's...if that! the main reason for closure: no plumbing. that's right! even in 1991, if you were in an inmate, you  and your cellmate pooped in a bucket and let it sit in your room all day. with no running water. or electricity. or fans. apparently, the stench was disgusting. my friend remembers it...she only lived a few streets down. it took a full year before the stench left the building after it's closure. 

it really was a most fascinating tour. we had a great guide who regaled us with stories and explained the ins and outs of the penal system. i would highly recommend the tour to anyone who decides to come visit, if for no other reason then to gasp in disbelief.

next stop, the tunnel tour.

xo